Auxiliary oil saver



Sepia,` 9, 1924.

R. J. SCHUYLER AUXILIARY OIL SAVER Filed June 24, 1922 2 Shees-Sheet 1 f Horue Sept. 9, 1924.

R. J. SCHUYLER AUXILIARY OIL] SAVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24 1922 Patented Sept. 9, 1,924.

ROBERT J. SCHUYLER, OF MEXIA, TEXAS. i

f y AUXILIARY Application led June 24,

To all 'whom z''may concern:

Be it known thatI, ROBERT J. SGHUYLER,

f a citizen of the United States, residin at Mexia, in the county of Limestone and tate of Texas, have invented certain new and useful -Improvements in Auxiliary O-il Savers, of which the following is a speciication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

At times when breaking the joints of oil well tubes or pipes', which are taken apart in sections, for the purpose of cleaning well tubes or repairing thesame, the oil from the disconnected sections is permitted to run to waste. To save this waste oil, savers in the form of housings (which include discharge means) have been employed for connecting the sections, when breaking joints for repairs and cleaning.

Such oil savers are not eective and prac# tical for usel in connectionA with pumping or iiowing wells when in action, or for use in connection withswabbing wells.

At the'present time, in connection with pumping, flowing or swabbing wells, or while drilling, to save oil or gas waste, there is now being used what is known as a roller oil saver, which is used ilimediately above and connected to the top of the control head of the well pipe. This character of oil saver serves its purpose reasonably well, and acts to put considerable of the waste oil 'into the tank. However there still exists a waste of the oil, due to a certain amount of the oil clinging to the pump rod, or to a cable, which is used for pulling a swab, when swabbing a well. The waste oi oil Jfrom this result particularly increases when the wiping rubbers of the roller oil saver 40 become so worn that they will not serve their purpose when adjusted.

It is. therefore, the purpose of the present invention to provide an oil saver to be used as an auxiliary roller oil saver. For instance ina short while the wiping rubbers of the roller oil saver become worn. therefore a considerable amount ofvoil clings to the swabbing cable, or to a pump rod, and to carry this waste oil, which discharges at the top of the roller oil saver, to the tank, the` auxiliary oil saver is mounted below the control head of the well tube, and also below the flooring of the derrick, so that when the waste oil discharges from the top OIL SAVER.

1922. serial No. 570,676.

f of the roller oil saver it will be carried into the auxiliary oil saver, and from thence to the tank.

i This improved character of oil saverv is especially adapted for use inl connection with pumping or flowing wells o-r tor use in connection with swabbing wells, when.

pulling a swab, and which is in the form of a funnel clamped with a `packing to the oil tube below the control head, including a connection with the piping leadin to the tank.l so 'as tocarry this waste oi v to such container.

Another purpose is to provide means im mediately below the floor of the derrick and assuming a position reaching over a considerable areaof the flooring of thev derrick and overlying the upper margin of the funnel for carrying the waste oil thereinto. This character of auxiliaryv oil saver may be used as an auxiliary, even in connection with such oil savers which are used, when breaking the joints of oil tubes, which are taken apart in sections, for the oil which may How over the flooring of the derrick, at the time of separating the sections of the tube, will flow into the funnel, and be carried off to the tank.

A further purpose is the provision of an derrick, and drips between the boards and eventually goes to waste. It is also the aim to save Vthis waste of oil, by the provision of a drip trough or pan mounted upon the flooring of the derrick', including a tube or pipe leading therefrom and connected to the pan or trough which is immediately above the auxiliary oil saver funnel, whereby thel oil which is carried to the bull wheel, is also carried olf to the tank with the oil which wastes Jfrom the top of the roller oil saver.

A still further purpose is to provide an auxiliary oil saver, which will relieve the necessity of keeping the adjusting means of the wiping rubbers or shoes of the roller oil saver too tightly adjusted, and will thereby prolong the life of such wiping rubbers or shoes.

It is to be understood that the particulars herein given are lin no way limitative and that while still keeping within the scope of the invention, any desired ymodifications of detail and desired proportions may be made in the apparatus according to circumstances.

.The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a portion of the liooring of an oil well derrick, showing an oil well tube and its contro-l head, including the roller oil saver, and also illustrating the' auxiliary oil saver as applied; y

Figur 2 is a sectional view through the same, showing the control head in elevation, and illustrating a portion of the roller oil saver in section;

Fi re 3 is a plan view of the drip pan or troug which is disposed immediately below the llooring of the derrick and immediately above the auxiliary oil saver funnel, showing the pan or trough dished, and constructed in sections;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4--4 of Figure 3;

Figure' is a sectional view through the auxiliary oil saver funnel more clearly showing;` the construction thereof;

igure 6 isa sectional view on line.6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view on line 7 7 of Figure 5, showing how the cylindrical base portion of the auxiliary oil saver `funnel is constructed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the lioormg of the oil well derrick, and mounted upon supporting cleats 2 which rest upon the flooring, is a drip pan or trough 3. This drip pan on trough 3- is supported in position below the bull wheel 4, on which the swabbing cable 5 winds. The pan or dripv trough 3 is dished from its sides and ends toward its center, which is provided with a discharge opening 6, to which a pipe or tube 7 is connected. It is to be noted that Figure 1 discloses the auxiliary oil saver device as applied to a well pipe or tube, from which a swab is being withdrawn. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the usual roller oil saver 8 is applied in position immediately above the control head 9 of the. oil well tube. The control head is considerably stronger than the oil well casing or tube, so as to withstand ig pressures, and connected to the control head is an oil conveying pipe or tube 10, which connects ,withl a pipe or tube 11, which carries the oil from the well to a storage tank (not shown).

As shown in Figure 2 the roller oil saver,

which is at present used, comprises a casing 12, which has mounted therein guide rollers 13, between which the cable 5 which connects with the swab (not shown) fastens. The roller oil saver casing also carries a pair of diametrically opposite wiping rubbers or shoes 14, there being opposed plates 15 operated by the adjusting screws 16 of the usual character, for adjusting the wiping rubbers or shoes toward and -rom the cable.

The wiping rubbers or shoes act to wipe the oil from 'the cable, as it is pulled through the roller oil saver. The opposite rollers 13 act y terior of the vcontrol head, and drips therefrom onto the flooring, some 'of it passing down upon the exterior of the well pipe and going to waste. Other yparts of this oil feeds over with the cable, and drips from the bull wheel, which has heretofore gone to waste.

However in order to collect this waste oil a pan or trough 17 is placed beneath the liooring of the derrick, and supported in any suitable manner. The pan or trough is dished from its sides prises two sections 18, which are fastened together by means of bolts or the like 19. The

. bolts 19 pass through the anges 20, which are carried by the adjacent edges of the two sections of the pan or trough, and also through a packing 21, which is arranged intermediate the flanges, to insure against leakage of the oil. The pan or trough 17 has an opening 23, of substantial diameter, the marginal edge of which has ya slightly turned down liange 24, which overlies and is spa-ced from the marginal edge of the mouth of the auxiliary oil saver funnel 25, so that any oil that passes between the boards of the flooring of the derrick, will flow into the trough or pan 17, and thence flow into the funnell oil saver 25. This funnel oil saver 25 comprises two sections 26 and 27. The conical portions of these sections have lateral flanges 28, between which, a packing, such as rubber or the like 29 is arranged. Suitable bolts 30 pass through the flanges 28 andwthe packing, to insure a tight'joint between the sections, and to prevent leakage of the oil. The lower portions of the two sections 26 and 27 terminate in semi-cylindrical parts 31 and 32. These semi-cylindrical portions overlap each other, and interposed between the semi-cylindrical portions and the well tube or pipe 33 is a suitable packing or rubber or any other suitable material 34, to insure against leakage of oil. Semi-cylindriand ends, and oom- 36, through which the bolts 37 engage, for

drawing the flanges 36 together and tightening the semi-cylindrical bands 35 in posifV tion. These bauds 35 act to draw the semicylindrical portions against the packing 34,

t0 prevent the leakage and waste of oil from the funnel. A suitable pipe 38 is connected by means of a packed'joint or union 39 with the conical wall ofthe section 27 of the funnel oil saver 25, and is in turn connected to a tank 40. A pipe 41, which carries a gate valve 42 and a conventional form of check valve 43 extends a substantial distance into the T-titting 44 of the pipe 11, as indicated at 45. The gate valve 42 is employed for cutting 0E the supply of oil from the tank 40, whereas the conventional form of check valve 43 is provided for the purpose of preventing a retrograde ow of the eil. It will be noted that the greater portion of the-oil passing through the pipe 10 at the junction of saidpipe with the pipey or tube 11, creates an injector action and tends to draw the oil from the portion 45 of the pipe 41, thereby carrying the waste oil together with` the main supply of oil to thestorage tank.

The oil that may be absorbed by the cable 5, when its conslderable length is wound upon the bull wheel, drips into the pan or trough 3, and due to the pipe 7 being slightly inclined, it is carried to the drip pan or trough 17, from whence the oil passes through the opening 23,into the conical lmnel shaped auxiliary oil section. It is obvious that the auxiliary oil saver collects the oil which has been heretofore lost by the roller oil saver, andv which still drips from the cable on the bull wheel. In fact any1 oil that may be allowed to waste upon thel ooring of the derrick, particularly adjacent the oil well tube or pipe, will iow into the drip pan or trough 17, and will be conveyed to the funnel shaped auxiliary oil saver.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed is 1. An oil saver for well drilling rigs comprising a pan adapted to be mounted upon the oil pipe below the control head thereof and below the door of the rig, said pan having a relatively large central opening, a downwardly tapering portion extending downward from said opening and at its lower end formed to be clamped upon the oil pipe, said pan being formed in two sections and having means whereby `the sections may be clamped to each other, and

an outlet pipe leading from the downwardlyextending portion of the pan.

2. An 011 saver for well drilling rigs comprising a pan adapted to be mounted upon the oil. ipe below the control head thereof and be owv the floor of the well drill- 'ing rig, said pan h ving a relatively large downwardly tapering central openin an walls surroundln the opening and formed at their lower en s to be clamped upon the oil, a second pan adapted to be disposed below the bull wheel 'to receive oil dropping therefrom, and a pipe connecting the second named pan with the first named pan.

3. An oil saver for' well drilling rigs comprising a pan adapted to be mounted upon the oil pipe of the rig below the control head thereof and below the fioor thereof to receive drippings therefrom, said oil pan having a relative y large central opem `and a downwardly tapering portion adapte to be clamped at its lower end upon the oil pipe, a tank disposed on a lower level than the pan, a pipe leading from the downwardly extending portion to said tank and discharging thereinto, a discharge pipeleading from the tank, a second pan adapted to be disposed beneath the bull wheel of the rig and receiving drippings therefrom, and a pipe leading from the second named pan to the first named pan.

4. The combination with an oil well derrick including an oil well tube and (iooring through which the tube passes, a control head mounted upon the tube., a pipe leading from said control head and having a downwardly extending discharge portion, of an oil saver comprising a pan mounted upon the oil pipe immediately below the \looring of the derrick and below the control head and receiving drippings therefrom, said pan having a relatively large central opening through which the oil pipe passes and having a downwardly extending conical portion engaged with the pipe and having a pipe- ROBERT J. SCHUYLER; 

